7:30 p.m.: The NFL world says goodbye to the draft and hello to the temporary lockout. Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich went undrafted, which is a tough blow for one of the draft's great stories.

The Patriots made nine picks over the course of three days, and this draft class will take awhile to assess. Nate Solder's status will be determined by Matt Light's future, and fifth-round steal Marcus Cannon must overcome Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma before concentrating on football. With those two picks, though, the Patriots have really solidified the future of their offensive line.

Stay with NESN.com for much more draft analysis. For now — and for however long, we just don't know — we're signing off from Gillette Stadium.

7:24 p.m.: Bill Belichick has wrapped up for the weekend and closed his news conference by saying he didn't know when he'd see us again. With the lockout, that's as true of a statement as there's ever been.

5:54 p.m.: Malcolm Williams projects as a special teamer, and he's supposed to be an excellent athlete.

5:48 p.m.: The Patriots have wrapped up their draft by taking TCU defensive back Malcolm Williams with the 219th pick in the seventh round. In doing so, the Patriots passed over Mark Herzlich and Greg Romeus, so they clearly weren't impressed with those two prospects.

5:40 p.m.: The wedding was quick and painless, and the party has departed back for the luxury level of the stadium. Yes, these are the things that create excitement in the seventh round of the NFL draft.

4:55 p.m.: There is now a wedding happening at Gillette Stadium. Nope, I'm not lying, even though I see you there doubting me.

4:12 p.m.: Jordan Todman's draft weekend was a forgettable one. After declaring early, he waited until the sixth round to get taken by the Chargers. Todman's UConn fullback was taken ahead of him.

3:33 p.m.: The Patriots and Eagles have kept the streak alive. On a day when Boston and Philly are at odds on the ice, the football teams have struck another friendly trade, swapping the 193rd and 194th picks. Bill Belichick was asked about keeping that trade tradition alive the other night, and he smirked about having something in the works. And there it is, a strange trade some 25 picks ahead of schedule.

3:16 p.m.: While Marcus Cannon had his conference call with the New England media, the Patriots selected Marshall tight end Lee Smith, who will be a great closer. I'm going to get to Marcus Cannon's story now to paint his picture of his medical issue.

2:58 p.m.: The Patriots are a few picks away from picking at No. 159. Mark Herzlich and Greg Romeus are still on the board.

2:39 p.m.: The Packers are going to love using their fifth-round pick on Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams, who is a gamer with a good mix of blocking and receiving tools. He was often Ryan Mallett's most reliable target, particularly in tough situations, almost Ben Coates-like in that sense.

2:29 p.m.: If Marcus Cannon checks out medically — it still appears to be very early in the process — the Patriots might have come away with one of the draft's greatest steals. Cannon could compete to start at one of the guard positions if he's healthy in 2011.

2:04 p.m.: The Patriots just made one of the most interesting picks of the draft, selecting TCU offensive lineman Marcus Cannon, who was just diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He was a second-round prospect before the diagnosis, and his outlook appears to be positive, though it will be very interesting to speak with him shortly. This could turn out to be a phenomenal draft pick.

1:55 p.m.: Ricky Stanzi's stay lasted a couple rounds longer than many believed, but he'll go to Kansas City to push Matt Cassel. Should be an interesting competition out there. Cassel has a very mixed approval rating with that fan base.

1:50 p.m.: The fifth round is underway, and the Patriots have been quiet so far. They've got the seventh (No. 138 overall) and 28th (159) picks in the round, so things are about to get interesting around here.

1:36 p.m.: Ras-I Dowling is tall, by the way. He's not Nate Solder-tall, but he's every bit of 6-foot-2 and might even be pushing 6-foot-3. There's no doubt he's got an edge on Devin McCourty as the tallest corner on the roster.

1:30 p.m.: The Browns are having a really good draft, and they just took one of the class' most interesting players, Stanford fullback Owen Marecic

1:18 p.m.: Aside from Shane Vereen and Ras-I Dowling, Nate Solder is also in the building. The Patriots were trying to get Ryan Mallett and Stevan Ridley to Gillette before the lockout is back in effect, so we'll see if that ends up happening.

12:55 p.m.: There has been a string of good picks midway through the fourth round. The Dolphins took wide receiver Edmond Gates, who ran the combine's fastest 40, and the Rams took Hawaii receiver Gregory Salas, who many were high on. And the Raiders followed up by taking Ohio State cornerback Chimdi Chekwa, whose stock dropped after suffering a serious wrist injury at the Sugar Bowl. That's a good run right there, and the Raiders added a solid corner who will eventually replace Nnamdi Asomugha.

12:44 p.m.: The Browns took USC tight end Jordan Cameron, destroying the dreams everywhere that the Saints would wind up with Jordan Cameron and Cameron Jordan.

12:40 p.m.: Sorry for stepping away for a bit, but Ras-I Dowling and Shane Vereen stopped by to meet with the media. I'll have some updates from each session, but wow, Vereen looks so tired. His eyes are puffy, and his voice is raspy after quickly packing and taking a red-eye from California. Someone get that guy a pillow.

11:34 a.m.: I think the Patriots will add a guard and a receiver before the end of the day, and it would make sense for them to take a linebacker, too. Mark Herzlich would be a great fit, but his ties with CAA and Tom Condon might be too much for the Patriots too take. Keep an eye on wide receiver Raymond Webber, who caught 101 passes at Arkansas Pine Bluff last season. He and Jerry Rice are the only players in SWAC history to catch 100 passes in a season.

11:24 a.m.: It's a little cloudy over Gillette Stadium, about 40 minutes before the first pick of the final day of the draft. It's still quiet here, as the Patriots aren't scheduled to pick for a couple more hours.

9 a.m.: The teams will have an early start Saturday when they close out the last four rounds of the draft. After the two prime-time affairs, Saturday's action starts at noon and should be done by nightfall.

The Patriots have made a handful of surprising picks, though they've added some pretty talented players. They've got four picks left. How many will they use? Well, good luck with that guess.

New England is scheduled to pick at Nos. 138 (fifth round), 159 (fifth round), 193 (sixth round) and 219 (seventh round). Stay with NESN.com and we keep you up with all the action from Gillette Stadium.